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most congenial situations, let well alone, and not waste either time, money, 
or energy in endeavouring to modify their surroundings. But we know that 
the contrary is the case, and the intelligent grazier should ever be on the 
alert to seize opportunities of improving his pastures, by cultivating well- 
known grasses, and by the introduction and cultivation of new ones. 
CONSERVATION OF NATIVE GRASSES. 
Eacu holding should have a few acres of its best grasses fenced off for 
one or two seasons for seeding purposes. As land is usually stocked, 
grasses are frequently not permited to seed, and consequently are only able 
to propagate themselves by root-division. Who has not noticed howygrasses 
flower and seed when they get a chance, e.g., along the railway lines within 
the fences? In many places these situations are the only ones where one 
can get a little grass-seed. : 
In addition, it would be very desirable for every selector and squatter to 
have a small grass-nursery, in order that he might test for himself the 
various native and imported grasses. Then he could ascertain their behaviour 
and habit in the climate and soils of his own district. The nursery should 
be in a place handy to the homestead, and if it would be a source of expense 
I would not advocate it. The principal cost would be that of a rabbit-proof 
fence, while the return to the grazier in the improved knowledge he would 
secure of the grasses suited to his district would be great. 
It would be, of course, very desirable to extend the idea of fencing off 
small paddocks. The very human mistake is made here, and in all parts of 
the world, of overstocking, with the result that the grasses most palatable 
to stock are temporarily (or perhaps permanently) eaten out, while their 
place is taken by weeds and inferior grasses,—grasses which have spread, 
because they have been comparatively uninterfered with by stock. The 
remedy, and there is only one remedy for this, is to periodically give 
paddocks a rest. In most parts of the Colony it is rarely that more can be 
done than this, but in the United States it has been abundantly shown how 
advantageous may be the breaking-up of the surface, and even the application 
of some kinds of manure. I will give one instance: 
“ An experiment made at the Kansas Station in 1892 shows what a thorough 
stirring up of soil will do for an upland prairie pasture. The experiment 
was made on a pasture in which the grasses had been dying out for some 
time, and the weeds were beginning to appear in abundance. It had been 
reduced to this condition by drought and over-pasturing. The surface was 
thoroughly loosened up by driving a weighted disc-harrow over the field in 
several directions. The pasture was sown to a mixture of orchard grass, 
meadow fescue, blue grass, timothy, red top, clover, and alfalfa, which was 
harrowed in, and a roller was driven over the field to level the surface and 
firm the ground. The seed germinated quickly, and the tame grasses made 
-an excellent start, but by September the wild grasses had crowded them out 
and held complete possession of the field. In this case the stirrimg of the 
soil and the season’s rest not only enabled the prairie grasses to recover and 
to overcome the weeds, but to crowd out a good stand of tame grasses as 
well.” (Thomas A. Williams.) 
Professor Lamson-Scribner, the well-known American authority, thus 
speaks on the question of conserving the native grasses :— 
“It is very important that every possible effort should be made to pre- 
serve the native grasses. They are naturally adapted to the conditions 
